Allow public to speak first

Purpose of Medicaid hearing was for public comment, not officials'

Connor Mizer

In the Ozarks, folks like to use plain common sense to deal with issues - as we note in this regular editorial feature on "common sense" solutions.

When a government agency holds a public hearing it generally means the politicians "hear" from the public. But when the state's legislative Medicaid committee held a public hearing Tuesday, the public was forced to wait four hours while officials said their piece. Next time the government wants to hear from the public, the public ought to be allowed to speak - first. It's just common sense.

Every time the Burlison/Mizer family appeals a lawsuit against the school district and county sheriff for holding random drug searches in high schools, the Rutherford Institute of Virginia foots the bill - for the Burlisons. Financially strapped Greene County and the Springfield school district, however, have to pay to defend the actions. The lawsuit has been shot down in two federal courts, but now-18-year-old Connor Mizer has said he will take it all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. That's a cheap decision for him. It's time for everyone to stop and consider the mounting bills for the school district and county. It's just common sense.

Cattle rustling may sound like something out of an old Western movie, but the reality is an economic catastrophe for the cattle ranchers who are its victims. A Monett man with more than 30 felony convictions, many of them for rustling, was charged again last week. If we really take this kind of crime seriously, we need to get serious about putting cattle rustlers out of business and in a new home - prison. It's just common sense.

If states are going to legalize recreational use of marijuana, like alcohol, there should be similar restrictions. A recent survey showed that even parents who support legalization of marijuana believe there should be an age limit on use. Like alcohol, marijuana use has results - from impairment when driving to possible physical complications. If you legalize it, include legal limits and restrictions. It's just common sense.

People who attend the Iowa State Fair, famous for its deep-fried butter treat, love their butter. But a butter sculpture of President Abraham Lincoln takes that obsession to a strange place. The sculptor doesn't know exactly how she will depict Lincoln. Let's hope he doesn't end up standing on feet of butter. It's just common sense.

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Allow public to speak first

In the Ozarks, folks like to use plain common sense to deal with issues ? as we note in this regular editorial feature on 'common sense' solutions. When a government agency holds a public hearing it